Tech baseball takes first Big 12 series
By: Scott Lacefield
Updated: March 17, 2013
AUSTIN, Texas -
Texas Tech scored four unanswered runs and used seven scoreless innings
from its bullpen to win its Big 12 opening series 4-2 over Texas on
Sunday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in front of 6,373 fans in attendance.
The
Red Raiders (14-8, 2-1 Big 12) won their first conference series over
the Longhorns (12-7, 1-2 Big 12) since 2002 and claimed its first series
win in Austin since
2001.
Junior
left-handed pitcher Jonny Drozd (3-1) earned the win pitching 5.1
scoreless innings out of the bullpen while retiring 13 of the first 14
batters he faced from
the third to seventh inning.
Senior
right-handed pitcher Jerad McCrummen picked up his third save of the
season - and second save of the series - striking out three batters in a
scoreless 1.2
innings and not allowing a hit to finish the game.
Texas' starting pitcher Nathan Thornhill (1-2) took the loss while giving up three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts.
Texas
took an early 2-0 lead, scoring its only runs of the game in the second
inning on designated hitter Ben Johnson's two-run homer over the
left-field wall.
Tech
immediately answered scoring a pair of runs in the third inning on an
RBI single through the left side by second baseman Bryant Burleson and
tying the game on
right fielder Devon Conley's safety squeeze bunt.
By
the time Tech took the lead in the sixth inning, Drozd had allowed only
two batted balls to leave the infield as he limited Texas to just one
base runner from the
third to sixth inning. In addition, Drozd went to a two-ball count on
just two occasions - both coming in the seventh inning.
Freshman
designated hitter Jarrard Poteete delivered the eventual game-winning
RBI with a two-out single through the right side in the sixth, scoring
Conley who singled
and stole second base earlier in the inning.
The
Red Raiders added an insurance run in the seventh inning when third
baseman Jake Barrios hit a one-out triple to deep center field. Moments
later, a passed ball
allowed Barrios to score giving Tech the two-run advantage, 4-2.
McCrummen
entered in the eighth inning with a runner at second base and followed
with a pair of strikeouts around a full-count walk to end the Longhorns'
eighth-inning.
McCrummen retired Texas in order in the ninth with back-to-back groundouts and then struck out Johnson looking to end the game.
Texas
Tech will return home on Tuesday, March 19 to host No. 14 Arizona State
for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park. It
marks the first
time since 2006 that the Sun Devils will travel to Lubbock.
In
addition, Tech head football coach Kliff Kingsbury will be in
attendance at the Arizona State game while throwing out the ceremonial
first pitch.
